Sheruts are shared taxis which run across Israel. Generally 9 or 10 seater mini-buses, Sheruts run both between cities and within cities, and are a popular means of transport especially between the airport and major cities as they can deliver you direct to your destination.
How does the sherut work?
You can get a sherut either from a fixed starting point (for example the airport arrivals area or the Central Bus Station of major cities) or direct from your address (especially for airport journeys where you can book in advance).
When you get on, you tell the driver where you would like to be dropped off, pay (a fixed fare), and then wait for the rest of the seats to fill up. This varies greatly depending on the time of day and location.
Once full, the driver then heads towards your destination, stopping along the way at the destinations of the other passengers. Depending on where they go, the journey’s length can vary significantly, however, destinations can only be within set parameters and so are unlikely to take you too far from your route.
Sheruts from Ben Gurion Airport
Sheruts run from Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem and Haifa. They can be picked up from the ground floor arrivals area (near the taxi rank) and run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, making them especially useful on Saturday when public transport is otherwise minimal. As there are constantly flights arriving, you should rarely have to wait more than half an hour for the sherut to fill up, but this obviously depends on how many passengers are on it when you arrive.
To go to the airport, you can call the local sherut providers office 24 hours in advance to book a sherut to pick you up from where you are staying and drop you at the airport.
Sherut to Jerusalem
Fare Information:
To: Jerusalem – Givat Ze’v, Moshav Ora, Moshav Aminadav, Even Sapir, Kiryat Anavim, Beit Nekofa, Abu Ghosh, Zova, Sho’eva
NIS 36.1 (to city center)
NIS 56.15 (to personal destination)
To: Har Adar, Netef, Ma’ale Hahamisha, Kiryat Ye’arim, Neve Ilan, Shoresh, Beit Meir, Ramat Raziel, Kisalon.
NIS 36.1 (to city center)
NIS 60.03 (to personal destination)
To: Ma’ale Adumim
NIS 41.98 (to city center)
NIS 65.07 (to personal destination)
*fare information is correct as of December 2010
Sherut to Haifa
Fare Information:
To: Haifa, Nesher, Tivon, Rekhasim, Yokne’am and Tirat Hacarmel
NIS 53.52 (to city center)
NIS 87.95 (to personal destination)
To: Akko, Mishmeret, Check Post, Kiryat Haim, Kiryat Motskin, Kiryat Yam, Kiryat Bialik and Kiryat Ata.
NIS 64.96 (to city center)
NIS 102.75 (to personal destination)
To: Naharia, Lokhamei ha-Geta’ot and Rosh Hanikra
NIS 69.16 (to city center)
NIS 108.2 (to personal destination)
*fare information is correct as of December 2010
Sheruts between cities
Sheruts run between all major cities in Israel regularly. Similarly to the airport journeys they drop passengers at their individual destinations and start generally at the city’s central bus station.
Sheruts within cities
Some cities, for instance Tel Aviv, have sheruts running within the city following routes and letting passengers off along the routes.